Last week, Syrian singer Omar Souleyman and his band were denied entry into Sweden for a scheduled slot at Stockholm Music & Arts Festival. According to a statement from the fest, the band were refused visas because Sweden has barred Syrian citizens from entering the country, due to fear refugees will come to Sweden and not leave as the Syrian civil war continues. The fest called the decision "absurd" and said Souleyman and his band had never before been denied visas.

Now, The Guardian reports the Souleyman was finally granted a visa to perform in Sweden. When the performance at the Stockholm Music & Arts Festival was canceled, organizers of Way Out West, running today through August 10 in Gothenburg, invited Souleyman to perform at their festival. In a statement, Way Out West said, "Mistakes and miscalculations can be made. But everyone can correct their mistakes, change their minds and do the right thing. Now, we give Swedish authorities the chance to do just that."

We apply for visas all the time and always have all the documents we need. This time, the application process was very difficult-- the staff were very skeptical-- and we were concerned from the outset. No other country has ever dealt with the situation like this. It was not promising.

They claimed that there was an extreme risk that Omar would seek a residents permit as soon as he arrives... I felt incredibly angry... This was a complete miscalculation. It's very clear that this artist is someone that tours all the time and all over the world and he has absolutely no wish to defect to Sweden on this very short trip for a festival.

Way Out West promoter Niklas Herrström told The Guardian, "It's embarrassing that Sweden was the first country ever not to grant him a visa."

Regarding Way Out West, Souleyman told The Guardian, "As troubled as it is, I love my country. I would never defect to Sweden."